We all know that excessive alcohol consumption is not good for the human body and can lead to many ailments like cirrhosis of the liver, chronic pancreatitis, alcohol related cardiomyopathy to name only a few. However, two papers recently published in the BMJ are suggesting that moderate alcohol intake may be beneficial to health. A meta-analysis and systematic review suggests that alcohol can improve survival and decrease mortality from cardiac disease. The second paper reports on beneficial changes in inflammatory markers due to alcohol consumption. The authors suggest that clinicians in future may advise people to consume alcohol because of these reported benefits. However, another recent paper from Australia highlights the harm of alcohol and states that there are no safe levels of consumption. It reports the links with cancer and suggests that the previously reported benefits of alcohol in relation to cardiac disease may not be real and are due to confounding factors. There are many factors that can influence the outcome of research and not all of these factors are easily accounted for. It would be interesting to know if those who performed the research drink alcohol themselves and what their personal views are regarding alcohol. Given the plethora of evidence of the harm of alcohol to the human body I feel it is quite likely that in years to come this research will be shown to be flawed and the evidence overturned. Many years ago people did not believe that smoking was harming and the harm of passive smoking was unheard of and the evidence refuted. I suspect the same will happen for alcohol as more and more people become aware of its real harm.
Certainly from an esoteric/energetic perspective, alcohol is definitely a poison and is seriously harming to the human body. My own experiences would confirm this such that even if someone offered me a cheque for a million pounds to drink a glass of wine I would not do it, even though I have consumed bottles of the stuff in the past. It is clear to me now that it is impossible to love oneself and drink alcohol and that ultimately it is our lack of love for ourselves that leads to the consumption of alcohol. Alcohol is used to take the edge of life or more specifically off ourselves. It is used to numb and anaesthetise the painful feelings we have about ourselves, the self-loathing and self-hatred that reside inside every alcoholic. Many use alcohol as a social lubricant and feel it gives them more confidence in social gatherings and people often believe they have more fun with alcohol than without. However, this is a fallacy. The true joy that can be experienced by being oneself in-truth far exceeds any false state achieved by alcohol or any other drug – and it costs nothing! It is however, possible to completely heal from alcohol addiction, such that the desire to drink alcohol is totally annihilated. It is a healing journey that requires self-honesty and being empowered to make different choices – but the more self-loving one becomes the fact that alcohol is a poison becomes crystal clear and it becomes easy/natural to just say no.
Have you altered your drinking habits and if so why? Do you feel alcohol is a poison or a medicine? Feel free to share your comments or experience re alcohol.
2 Comments
David
11th August 2011 at 4:14 pmI guess many people are somewhat confused by the many different reports we see presented in our media that bring headlines about the “latest medical finding”. Over the ages there is a myth that has entered our common thinking is that “drinking in moderation is good for you” and that “red wine is healthy” and yet what evidence is there for this? And over time the origins of where this mythology started gets lost. In general the meta studies are the best tool that statistical epidemiology has for assessing the “evidence” for a particular relationship between a behavior (including what we eat and drink) or treatment and a health outcome. Which is why it was particularly curious that the BMJ meta study on alcohol came to the conclusions it did? The evidence from the excesses of alcohol are clear for individual health, the pressures it places on the health system handling drink related cases, public disorder and its contribution to domestic violence. And at the personal level I guess almost everyone is aware that alcohol does have an effect on them. My hunch is that in time it will become more apparent how bad alcohol is for us and any flaws in the BMJ meta study. And indeed in time the false myths of any possibility of alcohol being healthy exposed.
The Soulful Doctor
11th August 2011 at 4:39 pmthank you David. I agree it is only a matter of time before the true harm of alcohol is exposed for all to see and these studies over-turned. They would not be the first so called papers of ‘evidence’ to end up being refuted and dismissed! However, it has to be said that one does not need written evidence to prove that alcohol is bad for the body – the body itself speaks loud and clear on that one, if we pay attention to it! Of course for many reasons we often override those messages.